


Hocus Focus

by Cratmang



Series: Oh Look, Another Raven House AU [3]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Detention, Gen, Human Amity Blight, Not really Lumity, Raven House, Willow and Gus are mentioned but do not appear in this story, Witch Luz Noceda, swap au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cratmang/pseuds/Cratmang
Summary: Luz has constantly gotten into trouble for mixing magic at Hexside. She’s a bright young witch, Bump will give her credit for that... but she just can’t seem to focus.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Series: Oh Look, Another Raven House AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981126
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	Hocus Focus

**Author's Note:**

> I would recommend that you read part 1 (Studying Abroad) first, but aside from the fact that this is a swap AU, you're not missing too much. Anyways, enjoy!

Seven.

This was the seventh time Luz had been sentenced to detention for mixing magic.

The first two times were torture. She had been locked in a dungeon, in which she had fallen into a pit full of worm-like creatures, one of which had swallowed her whole. She had then spent hours trapped inside a cocoon, while constantly being mentally assaulted by psychic messages that she had involuntarily repeated verbally. She had survived with her sanity barely intact.

The third time, she had used a piece of chalk that she had swiped from one of the classrooms to start keeping a tally on the wall. She had left the chalk there - she had suspected that Detention was going to become a regular occurrence for her.

But the fourth time onward, Luz had discovered a secret weapon - a rectangular human device that was about half the size of her hand, and a wire with three ends. The device had a single screen, a white ring-shaped button, and some holes, the purpose of some of which Luz was still trying to figure out. Two of the wire’s three ends had plugs, which Luz had found fit snugly into her ear. Through some experimentation and ingenuity, Luz had realized that by plugging the third end of the wire into a particular hole on the device, she could listen to human-made music that no one else could hear, and control it by pressing in different directions on the ring-button. For lack of a better name, Luz had decided to call this device her “music box.”

On the back of the music box, the name “iPod” was printed. She assumed that that was the name of the human that this music box used to belong to, before they carelessly threw it away. Since it was hers now, she had stuck a piece of tape over the old name, and replaced it with her own - “Luz Noceda.” 

After updating the tally on the wall of the Detention Chamber from ~~||||~~ | to ~~||||~~ ||, Luz put the piece of chalk down, then pulled out her music box and the three-ended wire. She took the two ends that she was supposed to place in her ear, and did just that. Immediately, the music started playing.

_I've paid my dues_

_Time after time_

Luz stood up, and looked at a crack in the center of the chamber.

_I've done my sentence_

_But committed no crime_

The ground shook, and the crack grew into a large pit that, had she not been standing next to the wall, she would have fallen into. The pit was filled with eyes, teeth, and giant slithering worms that eagerly anticipated her.

_And bad mistakes_

_I've made a few_

Luz stepped up to the very edge of the hole, and turned to face the wall.

_I've had my share of sand kicked in my face_

She lifted her arms up, leaned back, and willingly fell into the pit.

_But I've come through_

She felt the air rush past her as she descended.

_And I need to go on and on, and on, and on_

One of the worms grabbed her with its glowing blue tongue, and she felt herself being swallowed and shoved into a cocoon. Her senses faded, but she still heard the music.

_We are the champions_

_We are the champions_

The music blasted inside Luz’s head, drowning out any other outside influence. Only in brief moments between songs did she hear snippets of the voice, and even then, it didn’t seem to hold as much sway over her as it used to.

_99 red balloons, floating in the summer sky_

This plan was not completely infallible. At some point, possibly due to the effects of the cocoon itself, Luz began to unconsciously sing along. But it was better than having to say “I will be a good student” over and over and over again.

This was how detention would go for the next several hours. As far as Luz could perceive, the entire universe was just her and her music box.

 _Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, we hope you will enjoy the show_...

Some days, she would get so wrapped up in her music, that she wouldn’t notice when detention was over, and she had been regurgitated into a puddle of slime.

Today was one of those days.

_Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, sit back and let--_

She felt one of the plugs being pulled out of her ears. She opened one eye, and saw Principal Bump standing over her, holding it. Next to him stood her mother, with a disappointed look on her face.

“I see that they've once again failed to confiscate your ‘human music box,’” Bump said with disdain.

* * *

“I will say, your devotion to studying and mixing magic from multiple tracks is impressive,” the principal said as he flipped through Luz’s permanent record. “Your attempt at mixing Oracle, Bard, and Construction magic today was quite possibly your most ambitious attempt yet.”

“Why thank you, Principal Bump!” Luz said, cheerfully.

“Do not mistake my words as praise,” Bump said scornfully as he slammed the folder for the record closed. “You’re not supposed to be studying any of those tracks. You’re a Healing student! You should be studying healing magic!”

“I have been studying healing magic!” she complained. “I’ve studied it so much, that I’ve achieved an above perfect score on every single test! It’s all so easy, and boring! What if I want to experiment and try and learn something different? Is that really a bad thing?”

Bump put a hand over his face, and groaned in frustration. It was true that Luz’s grades were above perfect. She was clearly an extremely gifted witch. She just never could keep her focus on her assigned track.

Luz’s mother, sitting in the chair next to Luz, decided that it was her turn to speak. She put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Mija, we admire your devotion to your studies, and your willingness to go above and beyond, but you simply can’t study more than one type of magic. It’s forbidden.”

“But the Emperor’s Coven can use all the magic they want!” Luz argued. “Why can’t I?”

“You’re not a part of the Emperor’s Coven.”

“But what if I wanted to be? If I’m not allowed to study any other magic, then why bother having a coven where you can access all magic?”

“The Emperor’s Coven isn’t just a fancy excuse for witches to do whatever they want. Their job is to maintain order across the Boiling Isles. Joining them is a special privilege granted to very few witches, and your chances are no better than your friends.”

“In fact, your chances are gradually decreasing the more trouble you cause,” Bump added.

Luz sighed. “Well, if I can’t practice other types of magic, could I at least study it?”

“Out of the question,” Bump replied immediately. “A good witch needs to Hocus Focus. In any case, it has become increasingly apparent that Detention is not working to deter you from mixing magic. So I think that it’s about time we tried a different approach. You recall the witches from the Cleaning Coven and the Pest Control Coven that we hired to clean up the abomination goo that you infused with illusion magic?”

Luz nodded. That was one of her favourite attempts at mixing magic; she had created only three abominations in actuality, but with some illusion enchantments, she was able to turn three into three hundred. As if that wasn’t enough, they also had the ability to turn invisible, shapeshift, and perfectly mimic voices. 

The Hexside Faculty didn’t receive Luz’s experiment too warmly, and tried to put a stop to her illusuary abominations. However, they soon found out that they had another feature - the abominations had a strong sense of self-preservation. When attacked, their first instinct was to melt into a puddle of goo, then quickly squelch and slosh away. Bump had quickly realized that riding the school of them would not be an easy task, which is when he decided to bring in the witches from the Cleaning and Pest Control Covens.

“Unfortunately,” Bump continued, “the cost of their service has exceeded the limits of our budget, and we had to let them go. Instead, we have decided to enlist aid from our student body.”

“I think I see where you’re going,” Luz said.

“Starting tomorrow, rather than attending your normal classes, you will spend the third and fourth period hunting down illusionary abominations, cleaning up the mess that you have created.”

“That seems fair.”

“In addition, however, I will allow you to switch to one track, I repeat, _one_ track of your choice. If you are still unsatisfied with your studies, you can apply for another track next semester. But if I hear that you are mixing magic again, we may have to consider much more serious punishments, like expulsion. Do I make myself clear?”

She took a moment to consider before she silently nodded.

“Good. You have until tomorrow before class to decide your new track.” Bump stood up. “You may leave now. Mrs. Noceda, I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be here.”

“It’s no trouble,” Mrs. Noceda said. “Come on, Mija.”

Luz said nothing as she and her mother left.

Principal Bump put Luz’s record away, then sighed as he sat back down in his chair. He looked down at a framed picture he kept on his desk. The picture was of a witch with long red hair, and a serious expression on her face. When the photo was taken, the witch had recently graduated from Hexside, and had been admitted into the Emperor’s Coven.

“She may not be as rebellious as you used to be, but she certainly has your enthusiasm,” Bump said to the photo. “You’d probably like her.”

* * *

Luz’s decision to switch to the Oracle track was a strategic (and partially random) one. Her plan was to officially study the one magic track that she had the fewest or no friends or family in, and learn the other eight in secret through said friends and family. By process of elimination, Luz realized that she had no friends that were studying or had studied either the Abomination or Oracle tracks. So she flipped a coin, and went to her first official class in Oracle magic the next morning.

When third period began, she went to Bump’s office. She was given a mop and a bucket, and sent to hunt down her illusory abominations.

It was while she was cleaning up a puddle of disappearing abomination goo when she saw a witch walking down the hallway. 

But it wasn’t just any witch. Luz had seen the wanted posters. She recognized her, with her tall figure, and her dark-as-night hair and dress - Lilith, the Raven Woman. Behind her, two much shorter witches followed. One of them was a red imp in a kid’s dress. Luz was sure that she had seen the imp before, but she didn’t know her name. The other was a girl - presumably Luz’s age - who dressed like nobility. Her aura felt similar to that of Boscha, the school bully, but it was mixed with bitterness, nervousness, and just a dash of excitement. For a moment, Luz couldn’t help but stare at the girl, her amber eyes, her hair, green like Azura’s, her rounded ears...

_Wait. Stop right there._

Luz practically leapt into the girl’s way, causing her to jump back in surprise, and examined her more closely.

“Those ears... are you a human!?” Luz asked excitedly.

The girl covered her ears with her hands, and blushed as she tried to avert her eyes from the curious witch in front of her.

Luz made this exceedingly difficult, as she excitedly grabbed the girl’s arms, then fired a barrage of questions. “This is SO amazing! A human on the Boiling Isles! I can’t wait to tell Agustus and Willow about this! How did you get here? What are you doing here at Hexside? Are you enrolling a student? Wait, but I thought humans couldn’t cast magic. Is it true? Oh Titan, where are your gills?”

The imp leapt to Luz’s side, and readied a fire spell. “Step away from the human!” she commanded, “Unless you wish to incur the wrath of the Raven Woman!”

Luz froze as she eyed the imp pointing a ball of flame at her. She released the girl’s arms. “Okay, okay,” she said as she backed away. “Sorry, I’ve been told that I have trouble respecting personal boundaries. I’m Luz, by the way. Luz Noceda. What’s your name?” She held out her hand to shake.

The girl stared at it, and moved to accept the handshake, when the imp cut in.

“Her name is none of your business! Don’t you have class right now?”

The girl was getting annoyed. “Okay, you can chill,” She said to her short companion. “She’s not trying to kill me.”

“Maybe, but it’s my job is to protect you from any potential threats,” the imp protested. “That includes would-be bullies and delinquents! And that might include her!”

The girl pushed the imp gently aside. “Sorry about that,” she said as she finally took Luz’s hand. “My name is Amity Blight.”

“Kikimora,” Lilith called as she approached the scene, “you’re not picking fights with the students, are you?”

“No, Ms. Lilith!” The imp said. “I’m just making sure that not one of these students lay a finger on Amity, unless they want their limbs burnt!”

The old witch knelt down and patted Kikimora’s head, causing her to smile. “While your dedication and faithfulness are admirable, they’re hardly necessary.” She looked over at the two girls. “Good to see that you’re already making friends here, Amity, but we need to get you enrolled first. Come on, Principal Bump’s office is this way.”

Amity nodded, then looked at Luz, whose face was beaming with excitement. 

“You are enrolling!” Luz gasped. “I can’t believe it! You have to let me give you a tour later! I’ve been all over this school! I can show you all the different tracks, and introduce you to my friends! They’d love to meet you!”

Amity gave a soft laugh, then said, “Okay, I’ll come find you later.”

She walked away, following Lilith and Kikimora to Bump’s office, while Luz ecstatically waved goodbye.

“See you soon, Amity!” She called. “And welcome to Hexside!”

Amity gently waved back as the two witches escorted her around the corner.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! 
> 
> This installment didn't end up nearly as long as "Studying Abroad", but that's probably a good thing.
> 
> I'd love to write more OLARHAU (Is... is that acronym going to work? Let's pretend it will for now), but I'm not going to promise any date or schedule for the time being. In the meantime, if you want to ask me questions about OLARHAU, feel free to ask on tumblr ( https://cratmang.tumblr.com/ ), or leave a comment here. Praise is appreciated, but criticism is great (if you have any)!


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